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You’d think that with poll results tanking, and the Liu donations saga continuing to hang over them, Labour would welcome some positive media attention. But no; next weekend’s party “congress” will be held behind closed doors with the media excluded, except for a couple of stage-managed speeches from David Cunliffe and his Australian Labor counterpart.

It seems a daft decision from Labour, but maybe they don’t want voters to find out how bitterly divided the party is right at the moment…

From what I’ve heard the school had a hand in f***ing it up for themselves. The lawyer says it’s not setting a precedent; maybe not but it’s another Up Yours to authority as the slow burn continues to weaken society.

And this young fellow is a good student, allegedly a bit of a hero too. Boy I’m looking forward to having my twilight years managed by his generation. Not.

Still, another way to look at it – a story like this, father and son go to the High Court over hair length, can only mean one thing. We live in a comfortable society. If this is all we’ve got to worry about, little pissy distractions, then things are good.

We need a good hard global conflict to re-focus ourselves. Or a massive depression after the world’s economy crashes.

@ Pete George – I wouldn’t be rushing to help Ben from the Civilian. As much as I enjoy his blogging, the idea of him getting a wedge of money from my taxes to promote what is essentially a joke party is offensive.

The Left seem to be worshiping this dropkick kid as some kind of ‘National Hero’..
New Zealand’s “Martin Luther King” is going to get a fright once he leaves school and realises that there are ‘rules’ in the grown-up world as well…

Isn’t it typical of the leeching left to stop Christmas festivities in their attempts to follow the secular direction of a deviant Labour Party. If lying Lianne had not employed all those rug munching assistants its council would not have had to retrench, abandoning something most Christians enjoy and pay for, including her over-inflated salary, and those of her socialist unwanted assistants. Wake up Christchurch, the decadent left do no one any favours, they are all self-serving scum!

Dear me John Keys and his dread locks whilst at school.Hmmm…I wonder if it’s the school that errs here by adopting a rather over ridged standard when a commonsense one is what was required.
My son at a similar age wore his hair long like the young Prime minister but had tie it into a bun like Lucan Battison .Everyone was happy.For heavens sake you can’t run a school like a military barracks as some posters here seem to think.!

“……..The school’s rules state students must have “hair that is short, tidy and of natural colour. Hair must be off the collar and out of the eyes.”

Yesterday, Justice David Collins said the rule was capable of being interpreted differently by students, parents, teachers, the principal and the board of trustees and was not legally enforceable…..”

…. judge…….out of the eyes and off the collar was the issue………it either is or isn’t….’interpreted differently’….what a load of fucken bullshit….the judge added stuff ‘short, tidy, and natural colour’ into what the kid was suspended for —– it’s what rules the kid breached that are relevent to the decision —— not what the judge added in!!

“……students freedom of expression……autonomy……blah blah…..under the NZ Bill of Rights….”

Get judges to enforce the bill of fucken rights then —– instead of using it as a weapon based on crap to continue an agenda.

“Piss off ,when a Principal tells you to get a hair cut in a private school,don’t be an asshole,cut your hair.”

Some people here seem to disagree.
If a rule is not be legally watertight, it being constructed and argued over by a 100 overpaid lawyers, it doesn’t count.
Being an asshole and finding legal loopholes is a right and privilege, especially when done on someone else’s dime.

When asked about Labour’s latest poll slump to 27% former Labour Party president Mike Williams said yesterday “I think the Labour Party won’t be terribly unhappy with that result”.

They should be bloody unhappy. And they should be trying to do something about it, instead of resorting blaming everyone else, claiming conspiracies, and continual parroting of the same old policy palaver. .

If not for the fact of the school’s failure to have a basic understanding of its own rules of conduct- coupled with the seemingly lazy journalism on behalf of media talkback tradesmen such as on the radiolive morning slot – the whole story would never have gone to (h)air. Waaaaaaaaaaa.

I see Lord Lucan Battison strutting his stuff after the decision in the Auckland High Court because that stupid ex Helen Clark former Solicitor General David Collins decided that it was the smart thing to you. Twit but from previous history not surprising.
Mr Young Battison – there are and will be consequences, which your silly mother’s silly decision cannot accept.
As you get older and find that you have to move out of your youth your name will turn up and, guess what, you will not get the post or what you want. Then back to the High Court ?
Silly boy and even sillier Mother.

“….Harriet you disapprove of John Keys long hair whilst he attended his ” leftie” school….”

That’s not the fucken point.

The kid breached 2 out of 5 rules – so the judge then used the other 3 rules to say that the ‘rules in total’ breaches the NZ Bill of Rights[because THOSE 3 rules breaches the nz bill of rights because of ‘interpretation’] – and the school should then pay up!!!!!??????

They’ll challenge it.

“…The fact the kid breached 40% of rules in total…: is what I would have then said to that smart arse fucken judge.

The only thing that can stop it is if all the useful idiots suddenly wake up and recognise what’s been being done to them, and given that it’s now so obvious you’d have to be a moron not to notice it and yet still very few in fact do, we can all look forward to both of those things happening in the very near future.

Why we even saw yet another useful idiot at it again this very morn, with their usefully idiotic comment about Islam. This while ISIS which is not what the Western MSM portray it as, of course, adds yet another piece to the up and coming Muslim vs Christian conflict, which appears to be timed to be triggered after the economic calamity in which the evil ones steal the wealth of the useful idiots, just to set the scene.

They’ll challenge it.

They shouldn’t have to. The courts should not interfere with school rules. Anymore than courts should tell parents how to raise their children. What’s going to happen next? Parent’s have to tell Johnny and Mary that AGW really does exist, lest the courts decide a contrary view is a breach of “human wights?”

The point he was trying to make is if you import immigrants from the third world (and she will be, or she’ll be from the Far North parts of which are third world) then don’t be surprised if your country or parts of it become third world.

I suggest you venture out of your leafy suburb and have a look at South Auckland,

“…Aren’t we lucky we can afford to waste all that money because of a vain, self absorbed principal and his halfwit deadlocked board of trustees”…

Edited for truth.

Let’s reprise, because there seems to be an attempt via lazy assumptions and bigotry to smear the character of 16 year old Lucan Battison. This fine young man is in the 1st XV, plays a leading role is school life (Kapa Haka for example – in fact, his photo is on the schools website showing him leading the Haka) and has been commended for an act of bravery in rescuing some people from the sea, in the glory of which St. Johns college no doubt basked. He has clearly taken on board the values of a Catholic education – a strong belief in social justice, and the need to stick up for what he thinks is right, regardless of the consequences.

Cue the arrival four month ago at St. Johns of new principal Paul Melloy, a man who obviously decided that bullying a successful 16 year old boy (who had had no issues with his hair length for the first four years of his time at high school) would make an ideal way to allow him to stamp his authoritarian ways on his new school. Only Melloy chose the wrong target, and the victim has more of a bite than the bully thought. Now Melloy, instead of proving he can swing the biggest dick in town, will have to suffer the sniggers of the junior school and emboldened defiance from his seniors. So to me, it is Melloy who has made his school ungovernable, not Lucan Battison. Lucan merely took St. John’s mission statement at it’s word and stuck up for what he thought was right in the face of bullying authority. A wiser principal than Paul Melloy would have known when cut his losses. But he insisted it go to the end game.

Reid, thank you foe keeping us posted about your end of times economic apocalypse with the usual FEMA concentration camp baloney.
Hope it doesn’t include a return to that other equally silly Gold Standard baloney.?
I see , as per usual,, Zionists / Jews. appear to cop most.of the blame.

Cue the arrival four month ago at St. Johns of new principal Paul Melloy, a man who obviously decided that bullying a successful 16 year old boy would make an ideal way to allow him to stamp his authoritarian ways on his new school.

Cue the arrival of a galloping mental who doesn’t understand the difference between the value of instilling discipline in young people by setting rules they sign up to when they chose to attend the school, and bullying.

I see , as per usual,, Zionists / Jews. appear to cop most.of f the blame.

You’re hallucinating (again) stephie. Where did I mention Zionists and Jews? And having read that article, I can’t recall it mentioning them, either. You need to stop reading your own fantasies into what other people say, lest people think you’re a complete fuckwit, and we wouldn’t want that, would we.

It’s not about the length of his hair. It’s about teaching pupils like Lucan that they will encounter rules later in life which they consider arbitrary and irrational, but which they nevertheless have to obey, and that there will be consequences if they don’t. Thanks to this unedifying episode, young Lucan has been taught instead that he can defy rules with impunity. Not a desirable outcome, in my humble opinion.

You’re doing the Civilian Party an injustice Manolo; they DO have policies, which centre around llamas and ice cream. But the party is indeed a joke party, and if they want to promote this idiocy, let them do it on their own dime, not yours and mine.

Aren’t we lucky we can afford to waste all that money because of a vain, self absorbed student and his halfwit dreadlocked father.
.. ***
and all the other anti the judge/plaintiff crap commenters …
Just talking red neck bullshit.

Having always been a shaved or at worst back and sides, I could see nothing wrong with the student’s hair.
As Viking and others have said, the law is the law. A school Nazi, and his designated Nazi-like Disciplinary Committee, cannot demand that pupils follow their laws if they do not follow the laws of the land, including Common Law and NZBORA.
St John’s is not a private school. It is an integrated school, and is required to adhere to all State school principles. Hair length is as master of peer pressure, not Nazi-liker edicts or whims, which are now being compounded by the school’s subsequent ban on Rugby First XV and the school ball. Round 2 still to come…someone really should learn to stop digging.

En passant… At my Secondary School there was a Hitler like Head, a small man who stood on a stool or a chair to administer the cane to errant pupils. One day he chose to administer six of the best to a very large Maori pupil, and outstanding rugby player who later played for North island ads a Lock. After the first stroke KC (the pupil) reached behind, grabbed the leg of the chair, and as PF (the Head) was about to deliver pulled the chair from under him. PF went flying, never caned anyone ever again, and retired at the year’s end.

Since there were no witnesses, that was the end of the matter. But every pupil and most teachers knew what had happened before the day was out. 

Pity you Nat losers didn’t care so much about what is really Nazi like, and that is indoctrinating kids with extremist environmental propaganda and racist separatist BS coupled with a completely fairy tale version of NZ’s history.

Since in the current electoral term, apart from momentarily joining with the Greens to sabotage asset sales prices, Labour’s activities have been all about improving their party’s standing – changing Leader three times, man-ban and other krap– their present position in the polls is an utter condemnation of their efforts and seriously question their claim to rule the country on our behalf.
Fuck them

Thanks to this unedifying episode, young Lucan has been taught instead that he can defy rules with impunity.

It’s not just him it’s every single child in school and who will be attending school for the foreseeable future. If the courts decide it has jurisdiction over this area, it means that any rule whatsoever can be challenged, but even that’s not the worst part about it. The worst part is: what does it do to the mindset of young people, who have now been taught it’s OK to second-guess authority.

We all want to raise independent free thinkers, but young people are NOT small adults and they need different treatment until they get to become adults. It’s not rocket science to anyone who has lived life except, apparently, to lefties who apparently, spend 100% of their thinking time mentally wringing their hands at the complete twagedy of it all and casting around for the next issue in which they can rush in and save the “victim” from the nasty, vicious and evil oppressors. It’d be hilarious if this wasn’t what they apparently really do do, in real life, with complete and utter sincerity. Fucked in the head doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, with these idiots.

“…It’s not about the length of his hair. It’s about teaching pupils like Lucan that they will encounter rules later in life which they consider arbitrary and irrational, but which they nevertheless have to obey, and that there will be consequences if they don’t…”

I suggest you download and watch the excellent 1997 BBC documentary series “The Nazis: A Warning from History”.

The main lesson we must all take from that TV series is that morally just men – which all good Catholic men should be, particularly in the idealism of youth – should never obey arbitrary and irrational rules they consider contrary to justice, regardless of the consequences.

The right to say no to what you think is wrong is the very essence of what it means to be a free man living in a free land.

“These evil banks The shadowy Zionist denizens of New York,London and Brussels are guilty of a staggering set of frauds….”

Who cares, stephie. Do you think what it says about that legislation is true, or not? I’m guessing you hallucinate that because it mentions Zionists, that therefore every single word of it is completely and utterly false. Not to mention, I’m guessing, that because it’s not on, in your opinion, a “reliable” site, that means again, that every single word of it is etc.

Right?

That is how you think, isn’t it.

Which is why you’ll never understand the world and anything that’s in it, and why I very rarely ever bother to address anything you ever say, in relation to something I’ve posted. A silence which I’m about to resume. If you want to discuss something, then by all means discuss aspects of the legislation the article covered, but I know you’re not about to do that, are you.

You’d think that with poll results tanking, and the Liu donations saga continuing to hang over them, Labour would welcome some positive media attention. But no; next weekend’s party “congress” will be held behind closed doors with the media excluded, except for a couple of stage-managed speeches from David Cunliffe and his Australian Labor counterpart.

Only the rainbow fairy party would refer to their meeting as a “Congresss”
My dictionary has congress as one of its meanings as “sexual union” No wonder they have excluded the media. Cannot have all their “unions” exposed for all and sundry to see. Not this close to an erection.

Yeah, lets turn a promising intelligent student off learning, having a career and leading a self-sufficient life, because we all know that physical looks are far more important than actually getting an education – and of course, it is important that we judge and treat all children to special discipline according to how their parent presents themselves – that’s vitally important to ensuring the future of our nation. We don’t need qualified people – we only need tidy good looking ones.

The joy of socialism:The OPEC nation has suffered an increasing incidence of power outages in recent years, which critics have attributed to low electricity tariffs and limited state investment following the 2007 nationalization of the power sector.

morally just men… should never obey arbitrary and irrational rules they consider contrary to justice, regardless of the consequences.

Newsflash moron: a school rule of any kind which pupils are required to agree to before they attend school, is not an “arbitrary and irrational” rule it’s a fucking provision in a contract which said pupil in conjunction with their parents can take or leave as required and if they don’t like it they don’t have to attend that particular school. That’s what it is, and the courts have no business interfering with it, since it is not something offensive, unjust or unfair in any fucking way whatsoever. This guy and his dad is not a victim fighting oppression, he’s a young person probably influenced by a stupid father who hasn’t raised his son very well, whose lucked into a legal victory because he’s not the only fuckwit in the world, others including his father, the counsel who took the case, the judge and assorted other morons like apparently, you, who apparently think he’s achieved a heroic victory for human wights and if you possibly could why you’d hoist him onto your shoulders and hold a ticker-tape parade down Main Street. Wouldn’t you.

“…It’s not just him it’s every single child in school and who will be attending school for the foreseeable future…”

Who picked this fight? It wasn’t this kid, who presumably would have finished his sixth form and seventh form year in obscurity were it not for a new principal imbued with a sense of his own importance and authority but unencumbered with any wisdom or reflection. Being in charge is a great duty and responsibility that means knowing when you should and should not stamp your authority.

I remember reading either Lord Lovatt or field-marshal Lord William Slim, both great leaders of men, on an incident where someone rebuked them for an infraction on the part of their men, and asked them why they didn’t order their men to do whatever it was. The answer was “I didn’t see any point in issuing an order that wouldn’t be obeyed.”

Paul Melloy ought to print that out, frame it, and put it on the wall of his office as a lesson for the future.

How is it fair that the NZ IRD (and UK and Canadian legal direction too) can invoke “Parliamentary Intent” tests when black and white written law is confusing and unclear and be supported by the learned lefty legal poo-bahs,
but in this case, condemn the school’s rule as unclear when the school’s intent surely was very clear. **

How come the school’s lawyers did not bring this up (is that why the don’t want their name in the papers) while the “whiner” gets all the publicity ?

If it is good for the Parliament to have the benefit of “Parliamentary intent” being considered by judges, the school surely deserves the same consideration from this learned judge rather than a lazy “black and white” consideration. Surely he is “learned” and a “judge” fit to be in the high court..

Yes, it was. More correctly, it was his idiot father, who appears to be so proud of his own dreads (which the idiot media was careful not to show on telly), he’s influenced his son into hallucinating that if he ever cuts them, his balls will fall off or something equally nasty. So he must fight, and fight, and fight until he wins and wins and wins, lest his balls fall off.

*****
You make a good point on private schools, and the voucher system.
But all schools, private, integrated, or wholly State, are required to observe the provisions of the Education Act.

Collins J , who is no liberal pussy (former medical litigation specialist, QC and failed Solicitor General) found that the school was not following the Act, and the Head’s actions were arbitrary and contrary to Law.

How can such a finding be damaging to discipline and learning? The school, teachers, pupils, and board members all, can and should learn from this.

“Yeah, lets turn a promising intelligent student off learning, having a career and leading a self-sufficient life, because we all know that physical looks are far more important than actually getting an education – and of course, it is important that we judge and treat all children to special discipline according to how their parent presents themselves – that’s vitally important to ensuring the future of our nation. We don’t need qualified people – we only need tidy good looking ones.”

Don’t make up stuff.
He was asked to cut his hair, that was it.
He and his father decided to use go to the High Court to challenge the rule which wasn’t legally watertight…
He could have just cut his hair…..

When your boss asks you to dress formally, do you turn up in a T-shirt because there isn’t a 60 page legalese document fought over by a bunch of lawyers that stipulates exactly what ‘formal’ means?

I guess the Lucan Battison debate boils down to those who feel schools should be turned into Wehrmacht or SS military styled barracks and those who believe they should be centers of free and open enquiry with commonsense rules about dress codes.

Is it fair to say that the schools who most rigorously enforce rules seeking compliance in all things to do with uniforms and “expressions of individuality’ in appearance of its pupils, are the most conservative traditional state schools and the private ones?

Is it reasonable to say that the majority of parents in the country would want their kids to attend schools like that?

Random Punter – “Thanks to this unedifying episode, young Lucan has been taught instead that he can defy rules with impunity. Not a desirable outcome, in my humble opinion.”

I imagine a lot of other people have heard that lesson too. Never mind, schools have got more than enough time to spend the next few years litigating all their rules through the courts, while they are “tested” by students wanting to “stick it to the man”. Or have they got better things to do? Probably, so Plan B will be to drop the rules that anybody might complain about. Or just Plan C and just drop the rules.

Please Andy, read some law.
Get an understanding of how to interpret the law, look up precedents, and study the Education Act, then comment on this issue. You are clearly not always silly.
But you are trying hard.

The thing that gets me about these lefty fools vigorously defending this kid’s action, is that they are 180 degrees wrong about their assessment of the issue.

What they hallucinate is what they always hallucinate, that this is about a victim being oppwessed. But what the galloping moron idiot fool fuckwits completely miss, like they always do, is that human nature has been dealt yet another blow by their well-meaning but completely mistaken perspective.

I shouldn’t have to explain it because everyone who lives life already knows it, but what this is about is setting boundaries for our fellow humans who are in a state of development in which they require boundaries. Young people growing up are learning all sorts of things and one thing they are learning is how to discipline themselves. And the way you learn that is by external discipline. Show me the child and I’ll show you the man is a truism, and since self-discipline is a major major key to success in life, what lefties are doing with their foolish hand-wringing victimhood focus in this and in most if not all other things they ever promulgate their position on, is damaging the very people who they are, in their folly, attempting to help.

That’s what gets me. If this boy really was protesting about a rule that really was unfair or oppressive then naturally I, along with everyone else, would be on his side. But that’s not the case, in this case. And now Pandora’s Box has been opened, this legal precedent will do untold damage to thousands upon thousands of young people, over the coming years, until finally, someone wakes up and stops judicial interference in an area which should never have been touched in the first place.

This is what the lefty fools have done, and if that’s not bad enough in itself, they’re proud of it. Idiots.

“But all schools, private, integrated, or wholly State, are required to observe the provisions of the Education Act.”

So we have found the culprit: a state which has arrogated to itself the right to determine people’s haircuts, even in private institutions. It’s like that story recently about approved haircuts for North Koreans isn’t it.

Teachers are not bosses. The child is not working for someone else, he is working for himself and his future. Students need to get the message that what they do, is for themselves and the rest of their life – its the stupid impression that they are given that they are working for someone else, that makes many of them not try to succeed as best they can.

You made a comment about the father’s appearance, which has absolutely nothing to do with the case. I believe the father is gainfully employed and is actually quite a wealthy and successful self sufficient person – which is what we would like our children to aspire to. Obviously his looks, which you clearly have issue with, have not deterred him from leading a good life.

That boys hair was clean, and his appearance tidy and well groomed, especially with his hair back. It was not unhealthy, flopping in his eyes, flicking in other people’s faces, or detracting from any activity the child took part in. I am more than happy for a child whose hair can be a health risk (get caught in other objects, hang in their eyes etc) to be requested to be cut, but in this case, that young man presented well, and the school was being pathetic. They were prepared to ruin a promising young man’s education for the sake of some conservative judgement of physical appearance – what the hell sort of message does that give our young people? IF you don’t look right – you aren’t a nice person?

When your boss asks you to dress formally, do you turn up in a T-shirt because there isn’t a 60 page legalese document fought over by a bunch of lawyers that stipulates exactly what ‘formal’ means?

You actually made this statement to the wrong person. When I was a student our school rules said we had to wear our blazer, hat, gloves and school tie at all times when going to and from school and whilst on school trips. Even in the summer.

This of course was extremely hot, and almost unbearable, so we examined the rules, and what I said above is exactly what they said.

So that is exactly what a group of us did. We arrived at school in our bras and knickers, and wearing our hat, tie, gloves and blazer over top (the rules didn’t say anything about wearing the school tunic at the same time).

They got rid of the hats and ties immediately, and changed the rule to only wearing the blazer in the winter.

Amazing what a bit of protest can do. (The boys supported our stance for obvious reasons!).

“That boys hair was clean, and his appearance tidy and well groomed, especially with his hair back.”

Why do you keep on about his hair?
I think his hair looks fine.
He could grow it to his shoulders.
Have dreadlocks.
Honestly, I have no problem with it and I don’t care.

The issue was, he was asked to cut his hair.
He could have just cut his hair and it would have grown back by the time he left school.
He could have gone to another school.
He could even have left school.
But no, he had to go the High Court.
Honestly, you really think this is common sense and worth it?
For a haircut?
Really?

Because the one thing this country needs more than anything else is those who are prepared to stand up for what they believe in, especially when it is against something that has little or no relevance in today’s society.

This young man had already demonstrated by his other actions that he is someone that is prepared to put his life on the line to save others from drowning. He is the sort of role model that people within his same age group can and will aspire to.

The rule that a boys hair should not be below their collar is ridiculous in this day and age, and sets very much a bad example about physical appearance and how someone that doesn’t look right (or the same as everyone else) is not a nice person.

By all means have a rule about hair being safe, healthy and clean, but length etc is a draconian rule that needed challenging.

This country won’t have seen the last of this young man – he has the stuff that future (good) leaders should be made of, and I applaud him for his stance. Good on him!!

I have not read the decision and I do not intend to. I noted some of the comments of the court along the way. It all has a sense of déjà vu. Similar issues have risen in the past and similar outcomes have been achieved. Ultimately, it was a waste of money that would be best spent on education.

The main comment I would like to make is in relation to the interpretation of the rules. Certainly, the rule was equivocal. Does that mean, however, that it has to be interpreted with the same pedantry as the interpretation of legislation?

Anyone who has practised in the Environment Court knows that the Court is frequently faced with interpreting rules that, at first sight, do not make a great deal of sense when viewed from the pedant’s perspective. Counsel are frequently told that they cannot expect the accuracy of drafting of a Chancery product. Exactly the same approach could have been taken in this case. Everyone knew what the rule was intended to mean and that Lucan did not comply.

District plans are produced by professionals. They are publicly notified, submitted on, subjected to all sorts of scrutiny and amended on the numerous occasions before the final product emerges. Despite that, the courts give them ample leeway in terms of imprecision.

In this case, we are talking about school rules. They are drafted by, for the most part, volunteers (board members) with little or no experience of interpretive issues. An appropriate approach would have been to give effect to the spirit of the rules rather than look through the eyes of a legalistic pedant.

Apart from creating boasting rights, this case really achieves very little. Okay, Lucan made a point and he was right. In doing so, he has undermined of the school’s authority.

The school took a black-and-white approach and overreacted. It will have undermined its own mana.

I am aware of one particular case where a senior (male) pupil had eyebrow piercing with a stud. The school principal requested that it be removed. The rules were very detailed but because of a cock up, they only applied to female students. The principal and the student talked their way through it and the piercing was removed. The school acknowledged that the rules were imprecise and technically the student was correct. They went further and talked about the reasons for the rules and what the school was trying to achieve. No hard feelings on either side. In fact, regained respect for each other. I hope Lucan and the principal are not on a collision course.

Because the primary issue is judicial interference in an area they should have declined jurisdiction over, that’s why. It’s not as if the rule was bad, it’s not as if schools don’t have the right to set rules. It’s fucking mental to suggest either of those things were the case, yet that’s what some people and the court is suggesting. Compounding the error by taking an appeal would be a bit like getting one of the patients in Bedlam to assess the sanity of a fellow inmate, which is an almost exact analogy of this situation, with all attendant trappings.

Because the one thing this country needs more than anything else is those who are prepared to stand up for what they believe in, especially when it is against something that has little or no relevance in today’s society.

Yes that’s right Judith. We certainly do need a lot more Quixotic individuals tilting at windmills all over the place tying up valuable resources left, right and centre time and time and time again. We definitely need a whole hell of a lot more of that happening, of course we do, doesn’t everyone? It would be completely mental to suggest otherwise, wouldn’t it.

Judith dont disagree with you on this young fella ,but if you cant show respect to the environment you choose to be part of then you are selling yourself short and dissing your fellow schoolmates.
You simply are showing you have no concept of the standards set by an organization you CHOOSE to be part of.
Sad really.

Lucan Battison is in favor of spending a lot of lawyers’ time to get things done to his liking. Do we want a nation of young people who reach for the lawyers the first time they are confronted with “rules”?

Nothing will ever get done.
Actions will become even more codified.
Compromise and common sense will be marginalized.
Bureaucracy will increase.

How is this a good thing for the nation?

Save your human rights for when it really matters; least you wear them out on this petty stuff.

The school took a black-and-white approach and overreacted. It will have undermined its own mana.
…..
You can go back to why rules evolved. We forget why and so eventually someone wants them changed. In this case it is (perhaps) recognising school authority/ legitimacy. The value implied in the hair rule could be unity, a common purpose?
Interesting to see the student defended from a town planning perspective: I can do my own thing and f you?

Where would this world be if nobody attempted to change something wrong that existed within their context?

He went to that school as a child, and grew to be a young man whilst still there. In the process he found something he disagreed with, and sought to have it changed.

It is those that stand up against the things that are important to them, that have arguably made this world a better place. No one on the outside was going to change it – it had to come from someone inside, and preferably someone that had experienced the ‘wrong’ first hand.

You can either stand up and be counted in the context of your life, or sit in the corner and play with your crayons. The choice is yours.

Lucan Battison’s win doesn’t necessarily mean that every school pupil will be lining up outside court. All that will probably happen is that pedagogues will be a little less likely to interpret school rules as they see fit.

In any case we are discussing what is now a historical precedent…..the same sort of precedent that has shaped ethics, morals & laws since control was wrested from popes, royalty & feudal leaders.

We’ve come a long way……only the conservatives & truly insane would argue that it has been all bad.

“and that is indoctrinating kids with extremist environmental propaganda and racist separatist BS coupled with a completely fairy tale version of NZ’s history”

You not partaking in the ‘Matariki’ celebrations then Redbaiter?
Seems every schoolkid and Pre-Schooler in New Zealand is being forced to…
According to what I read in the Herald Pre-Colonial Maori were astronomers on a par with Galileo! Seems legit…

Yes, even if its employment or unemployment – providing you are prepared to stand by the results and accept the consequences, then yes, everyone that wants to stand up and be counted for what they regard as important, needs to do just that.

However, the sort of person with the guts to stand up for something they really believe in, even when others don’t, is seldom unemployed. People that have the guts to stand up and not just fall over with all the other lemmings, usually go much further in life, because they have the drive to achieve. The others just accept.

Take our Prime Minister – he would probably be a much richer man if he had continued doing what he did. But he being PM was on his bucket list – and so that is what he fought for. Commonsense driven by money would have kept him where he was, he certainly would have a more peaceful life – but now he not only has the top job, but he is able to respect himself for achieving what he wanted – and as he’s the person he spends most time with – its important to have no outstanding issues with that person.

“Interesting to see the student defended from a town planning perspective:”
I am not sure how anyone could place this interpretation on what I was saying but then again, I may not have expressed myself with quite the nicety of Collins J.

My point was that a court should be extremely careful before striking down rules or criticising rules because they are not imbued with the precision of legislation.

The courts have on many occasions supported imprecise rules put in place by lay people who have much greater experience and knowledge of rule drafting than a school board of trustees. Some of those rules deal with matters of significance that make a haircut seem trifling and irrelevant.

I am not defending either party to these proceedings. I wish they had had the common sense to sort it out without recourse to the courts. The High Court is in my view the last place where such an issue should have ended up. Candidly, the outcome was inevitable. I hope the fallout is not.

It is the responsibility of the Judiciary to interpret and enforce the laws as enacted by the Parliament. That involves making decisions (often appealable up to SC) on what the written words mean.

That is NOT interference. To have it otherwise would be to create anarchy.

It seems clear that there was no peer pressure on this boy. Peer pressure comes from fellow pupils, not teachers or boards . Three of our four children went to and enjoyed private (non integrated) schools. All were at times rebels. They were kept in line mainly by peer pressure, the most significant of related to our son. He was made Captain of his High School First XV. He became the strictest of disciplinarians.

If Mellor, or whatever his name is, had the brains and worldly wise nouse, that normally go with the Head’s job, he would have worked out a solution that was sustainable, and productive for all.

Now we have a situation where, having been directed to take the pupil back earlier in the week (before the decision was made and published by the court), the school then barred him from attending the School Ball and from the First XV. Just spite, silly, and likely to result in further embarrassment for Mellor and the Board. Dumbasses all !

Up to a quarter of the time of a class in a school nowadays is spent by the teacher trying to get the class settled down so the teacher can start teaching. So much for individual expression when learning time is reduced by approximately 20%. Discipline has its advantages.

However, the sort of person with the guts to stand up for something they really believe in, even when others don’t, is seldom unemployed.

Yes but we’re not talking about that sort of person here, Judith, no matter how much your starry-eyes and bleeding heart try to fool your otherwise normally astute mind into thinking it so.

As a student of human nature I’ve been wondering about what made a boy his age take the case, on someone else’s dime because I bet he didn’t pay for it himself, he may have got it free from a lawyer who hallucinates for the same reason you are, but who knows, I bet he didn’t pay for it by saving up and working his guts out which is point number one against your fantasy.

Point two against your fantasy is why did he take it and I can’t get past the fact his dad has the same do. And with dreads it’s a Rasta thing not to cut them, a religious thing. And I bet that’s why the boy took the case, not because he necessarily is a Rasta, but because he has a religious-like fervour going on in his young mind, fed by his idiot father, about his do. I’m not of course saying it’s religious in the sense his whole life revolves around it, no, of course, duh, I’m not saying that. I’m simply saying everyone else gets a haircut and thinks nothing of it, why is it such a big deal to him, so if you don’t think that’s why, then come up with a better reason. But regardless, none of this makes him a hero battling adversity like warriors of yore, thinking that it is, is with respect, absolutely and utterly roaringly mental times eleventy gajillion.

I mean, if a Muslim takes a case on legal aid or from a volunteer lawyer about wearing that garb while giving evidence in court, is she a heroine? No? So why is this guy, for doing the precise same thing?

I don’t blame him, he’s young and callow. I do blame his father for putting ideas in his head that, contrary to your belief, will NOT stand him in good stead in life because newsflash, there is NOTHING heroic about deciding you don’t like a rule, and instructing a lawyer to fly a kite in court. That adds NO value to anyone or anything, in and of itself, and thinking it does, is, as I said, absolutely and utterly etc.

His father (complete with dreadlocks) is a local businessman who features in the register of companies. He is also a survivor of a stint in the spinal unit at Burwood Hospital after a stock car crash which would indicate that he’s not short of guts nor the readies to take a court case.

If it’s his own money I would suggest that he can spend it as he sees fit.

The Herald reported in March that Liu received citizenship in 2010 against official advice after lobbying by Maurice Williamson, the Minister for Building and Construction, and John Banks, the Mayor of Auckland at the time who later entered Parliament as an Act MP.

Has anyone ever asked what was the detail behind the adverse advice of officials that Donghua Liu not receive citizenship?

The gold standard of lunacy A critical examination of the current obsession amongst many rabid righters , Conspiracy fan boys etc about a return to the gold standard as a cure all for all things including the imminent world economic collapse,

To play devil’s advocate, and I do not condone differentiation, I do think the rules should apply equally to girls and boys otherwise it is sexist and stereotyping, why should it only be a boys’ hair that has to be off the collar?

In this particular instance Lucan’s hair obviously did not get in the way of sport etc, you make the comment that a hair cut would grow back again soon, by the time he left school? I would argue that Lucan’s type of hair would just poof out, I think I read something suggesting that. Lucan would probably have to have a short back and sides, not so quick to grow back.

I have long hair which I have tied back most of the time, when it is that bit too short to keep sufficiently restrained it is very annoying.

As to the High Court, it is amazing how quickly the matter gpt a hearing so someone thought it an important principle.

One domestic humanitarian crisis that is brewing just south of me is the massive influx of very young children across the US-Mexican border. When this was first brought to my attention a few weeks ago, I must admit that I questioned the credibility of the source. We have had young children walking across the Texas border for decades but always in rather small numbers. The first source I read said that 40,000 had already come over this year. I just found that to be non-credible, but then with a little reasonable research it not only became believable but could be a bit low – it looks as many as 90,000 children will cross the border this year.

What in the name of the Wide Wide World of Sports is going on? First of all, how do you cover up something of this magnitude until it is a true crisis? When the administration and other authorities clearly knew about it last year? (The evidence is irrefutable. They knew.)

I am the father of five adopted children. In an earlier phase of my life, I was somewhat involved with Child Protective Services here in Texas. It was an emotionally difficult and heartrending experience. (One of my children came out of that system and three from outside of the United States). I have no idea how you care for 90,000 children who don’t speak the language and have no connection to their new locale. Forget the dollar cost, which could run into the tens of billions over time. These are children, and they are on our doorstep and our watch. You simply can’t ignore them and say, “They are not supposed to be here, so it’s not our responsibility.” They are children. Someone, and that means here in the US, is going to have to figure out how to take care of them, even if it is only to learn why they try to come and figure out where to send them back to. And frankly, trying to to send them back is going to be a logistical and legal nightmare, not to mention psychologically traumatic to the children.

Maybe someone thought that waiting until there was a crisis to let this information slip out (and we found out about it because of photos posted anonymously of children packed together in holding cells) would create momentum for immigration reform. And they may be right. But I’m not certain it’s going to result in the type of immigration reform they were hoping to get.

I have to admit that I’ve been rather tolerant of illegal immigrants over the course of my life. There are a dozen or so key issues that I think this country should focus on, but I’ve just never gotten that worked up about illegal immigration. The simple fact is that everyone here in the US is either an immigrant or descended from immigrants. It may be, too, that I’ve hired a few undocumented workers here and there in my life. As an economist, I know that we should be trying to figure out how to get more capable immigrants here, not less. What you want are educated young people who are motivated to create and work, not children as young as four or five years old who are going to need housing, education, adult supervision, healthcare, and most of all a loving environment where they can grow up.

It is one thing for undocumented workers to come across the border looking for jobs or for families to come across together. It is a completely different matter when tens of thousands of preteen children come across the border without parents or supervision. They didn’t get across 1500 miles of desert without significant support and a great deal of planning. This couldn’t be happening without the awareness of authorities in Mexico and the Central American countries from which these children come, and if this is truly a surprise to Homeland Security, then there is a significant failure somewhere in the system.

And if it was not a surprise? That begs a whole different series of questions.

“Has anyone ever asked what was the detail behind the adverse advice of officials that Donghua Liu not receive citizenship?”

That’s the sixty thousand dollar question,and no one seems to be interested in the answer!

Gulag
The RCC ,in terms of illegal immigration is all into something they call “social justice” and are actively behind illegal immigration into the States. Me , I say illegal immigration is a crime and they should all be deported.I don’t care what foot they kick with.And that applies in the Med,Australia where ever.

So Lord Lucan wants to stick up for whats right.
He leads the haka. He should go read the truth about Te Rauparaha and his exploits and go to the principal and say it’s just not right.
All schools indoctrinated with this racist shit.
Get your hair cut and ban the haka.

As I understand it the so called translation of Matariki has been held at the festival of the ancient Greek recognition of Pleiades many thousands of years ago.
It has been “celebrated” here for fourteen years.
Big F deal.

Long knives, an important part of NZ Culture.? Matter of debate I suppose but my family and I have found the Matariki celebrations most enjoyable , ineresting and entertaining like most of the crowds who’ve joined in.An important addition to cultural events like Diwali and the Chinese New Year that reminds us of the diversity and fascination other ethnic and cultures bring to our community.
Thank goodness your views are largely confined to a tiny
minority of misfits and riff raff who mange to infest KB.!

Paulus Matariki was and is a significant Maori event in their calendar to mark time, the winter solitice and the New Year.!
Go and suck eggs bigot.!

According to Judith and nasska he demonstrates outstanding qualities that will make him enormously successful in any and every endeavour he deigns to grace humanity with. Me, I’m with you Johnboy, since the last time I looked, there didn’t seem to be a large market in obstinate little shits who spends OPM and time simply because he doesn’t like a rule he agreed to when he signed up.

I actually like a school that has firm discipline and enforces it’s rules. Now the school cannot enforce it’s own rules. If the kid didn’t like the rules then go to another school. Most parents want conservative schools with good morals and they want the kids to look presentable. For the courts to get involved in this issue is typical of Liberals who want the government to decide everything. Those of us with a conservative vision believe in the principle of variety so some schools will be stricter and some will be more liberal and let the marketplace decide. Parents overwhelmingly send their kids to schools with traditional values and strict moral boundaries.
Parents that want otherwise can send their kids to Onslow college.

“One domestic humanitarian crisis that…that 40,000 had already come over this year…many as 90,000 children will cross the border this year…. …”

It seems to be too late politically to be deported back, long drawn out legal wrangling as it would be “think of the children” so most likely there to stay, plus mum dad and siblings, grandparents, cousins then uncles and aunties too, etc.. to arrive at a later date under compassionate familial concepts.

One way of dealing with the 90,000 children, the UAC (Un Accompanied Children) as they are called.
I wonder if the children could be put in army/naval barracks, under the sergeants commands, for their food/accommodation, discipline, work, training, education and health.

They will be institutionalized? Well they were going to be institutionalized any way by the government care agencies.

I know, they will have to be allowed to grow their hair long if they wish, and that is so important, so they will not be institutionalized.

Sadly, what a mess it is, and at what costs, for the young children, and USA, when it can be seen that laws can be bent.

Except the awesome Chinese New Year is a real thing Stephieboy! It hasn’t just been made up by a bunch of gravy-trainers hoping for a hand-out…
Enjoy the Matariki ‘celebrations’ with the other dozen or so guilt-ridden white liberals wearing their bone carvings and desperately trying find new and unusual ways to pronounce Taupo….

the other dozen or so guilt-ridden white liberals wearing their bone carvings and desperately trying find new and unusual ways to pronounce Taupo

It’d be fine wouldn’t it if they kept their guilt locked away in their tummies and never let it out, but instead they sanctimoniously hallucinate that it’s proper, right and just to inflict it on everyone else possibly in order that we too become the ‘advanced thinkers’ they so incorrectly assume themselves to be.

I wish ‘he was being enormously sancitimonious Your Honour’ was an accepted defence against a charge of kicking someone in the goolies. If lefties really do want to pursue and correct an actual human tragedy as opposed to an imaginary one, you’d think they’d consider taking that one on, wouldn’t you.

Which still does not match the statement Reid. According to statistics the majority of parents by a huge margin could not even afford to live or even consider living in those areas. The only thing your statement might support is that some wealthy people are conservative and want their children to have good manners.

The fact remains Reid, is that Scott, and yourself, have never asked ‘most parents’ and therefore cannot support that statement .

I have five kids, that’s double the average, and I used to threaten my kids with going to one of the ‘good’ schools, as a punishment. I could think of nothing worse than sending my children to a school where looks are deemed to be more important than learning. I send my children to school to receive an education – they come home to receive their life skills such as manners, etc.

Teachers are not meant to be ‘bringing children up’. Whilst abiding by the rules is good, the rules need to be valid and suitable for the context and period in which they exist. This rule was never valid nor of any use to the context in which it was applied – the purpose of a school is to educate. Breaking that rule did not intervene with the child’s ability to learn, or in any health or safety matter. It had no detrimental effect on other students, and it did not harm the teachers in any way. It was a pathetic and outdated rule – and smacks of the snobbery of the last two centuries.

I could think of nothing worse than sending my children to a school where looks are deemed to be more important than learning.

Judith if that’s what you think is the attitude amongst the “good” schools then you’ve been listening to too many lefties who don’t understand anything.

In reality all the “good” schools care about is giving their students the very best education they possibly can with the resources at their disposal. And since the “good” schools have a lot more resources, relatively speaking, than the ones people don’t think are quite so good, that means on average their students get better grades and jobs when they leave, which is precisely the point, since your child’s education is the greatest gift a parent can give, apart from their love.

And BTW, having been to a “good” school myself and all my siblings also having been to “good” schools, I can tell you for a fact that, contrary to what I assume you hallucinate, the students at those schools no more think of themselves as special and no more look down on other students from other schools, than happens anywhere else in life. You get the odd snob of course, but my observation from direct experience is that snobbery is more a perception than a reality when you’re inside the circle and it’s a perception that’s largely imaginary coming as it does mostly from those who have no direct experience of it but think, or rather hallucinate, that they do in fact actually do know precisely what the rich pricks are thinking about at any given moment.

Ever felt like you could do with another day off?
…
Matai Smith, co-host of the Maori TV special Ata Marie Matariki which celebrates the start of the Maori New Year, is all for the idea – providing that a few conditions are met first.

“We’re not going to say no to another day off work are we?” he quips. “January 1st is something the world celebrates, so why not take ownership of our own special new year?

“But I would say that this should only be allowed once we are convinced that we as a nation recognise and appreciate Matariki’s true importance and significance and not just see it as another day off.

“For me this is a few years away I’m afraid to say.”
…

So, Big Bruv, how far away are you from recognising and appreciating Matariki’s true importance and significance?

” I send my children to school to receive an education – they come home to receive their life skills such as manners, etc. ”

That is fantastic . But I think today , among parents, you would be in the minority in terms of the parenting side. Yes there a lot of fantastic parents but there are many who in effect try to be friends with their kids and so things like manners , respect for rules etc. go out the window. That is why rules and respect for those rules at schools are important –it is part of the kid’s education in my view.

Don’t forget the boundary changes and the fact that the party vote was I think about 2500 against Trev last time.
He only came here cause it use to be a safe Labour seat. Hopefully the turd will get dumped on 20 Sept!

The good people of Wainui would be well-advised to bring forward duck-hunting season this year. The talk around the traps is that mallard ducks might be endangered – or possibly extinct – after 20 September. So best that you get in early!

Can’t ever remember a Wellington rugby team ever winning a National Championship. The canes are a croc of shit so why bother playing the great game in a failed province? I guess Wellywood types expect a low standard and just content losing. The TAB is paying evens that a big bigot will respond first within seconds not minutes. It is very sick. Go Crusaders. haha so easy.

Quite a few posts on the long haired student.
Nothing wrong with his hair but the problem is that the school has rules. Now if he is allowed to break them then other pupils may want to as well, so there could well be some students attending that school with rat’s tails and all sorts of weird hair cuts.
I did read where his mother said some of the students had tatts. There should be a rule that no student should have tatts that can be seen. Tatts really are a no-no if they are obvious to the general public.
And I understand no upmarket brothel will allow their employees to have any tatts , because the customers , as a general rule, don’t like them. Lowers the tone, if you understand what I’m saying.

I don’t like rubbing salt into wounds (lol) but has a Wellington representative rugby team ever won a National Championship or Super 15 title? TAB only paying Canes $2.00 to win. It must be the Canterbury coach they got up there.

Johnboy I enjoy your comments here on kiwiblog but I am fucking sick of that creep big bruv continually slandering my name with malicious false accusations. It has not stopped since the day it joined this blog. I stopped posting here for two years because I was gutted with that creep’s continual lying. Anyway I got better things to do than be abused by a very deranged coward.

He only doe’s it to wind you up Dad.
Look upon this whole place as a form of therapy to relax from the real world as I do.
Take each comment as it comes and try to think up an equally stupid retort in response.
It will do wonders for your blood pressure!

Coming late to the debate and unlikely to be read by many, but this nonsense over that lad’s hair reminds me of the days when at the UK school I attended the prefects had what seemed to us peons as immense and far reaching power!

The masters taught, it was the prefects who imposed and maintained order and discipline. As a result some of the arbitrary and baffling outcomes of this imposition of discipline and order certainly readied the hoi poloi for the vicissitudes of adult life!!

A regular issue was that of wearing the school cap en route to and from school at the beginning and end of the day. Prefects would lurk in the vicinity and collar anyone breaking this rule – to then later in the Prefect’s rec room administer a few whacks across the nether regions with a plimsoll!

Never did me any harm!! …….(Nervous twitch- twitch-twitch!!)

It was all a game really – the old “Us v Them” syndrome that one later came across from time to time in adult life!! Happy daze, eh?

“He only doe’s it to wind you up Dad.
Look upon this whole place as a form of therapy to relax from the real world as I do.
Take each comment as it comes and try to think up an equally stupid retort in response.”

Yup. Unless he’s accusing you of criminal activity I wouldn’t bother getting bothered by him. That’s what he wants.

Just remember that he needs a little sympathy. His brain has largely melted due to that silly cult he belongs to!

20km return journey Thursday. It could rain. Recently gained info; can take bike on train free. Rain or train ?

I took rain. It had been light, half way in it pisses down like the main act has arrived. My MP3 is water rooted. I feel like total dumbarse fucktard. I love my MP3 player. It sat inside cellphone holder and in backpack small pocket at top – but got soaked to fuck. Resigned to look for replacement. Dickhead.

Still looked for signs of life. There were signs of life. There was light. Just light. Put MP3 in Sun. Now computer acknowledges it. Now it turns on away from computer. Now it functions as far as can be fathomed 100% as before. It’s a miracle. It’s a bloody miracle. Back from the dead. Touch wood. Will learn. Put it in something – protect from water. MP3 does not like things like water (duh – you total total utter insufferable thick dipshit **fuckwit** – hahahaha). It’s a fair dinkum miracle – I think I’ve got a bit of ‘survivor guilt’. I don’t deserve this wonderful reprieve. It’s good – it’s good – oh it’s good good good – YEEEEEAH !!!!!!!

Bollocks gump. He chose to challenge the folk who make the rules at his school obviously egged on by his stupid father.
He went to the high court again egged on by his stupid father.
He won his case presided over by a stupid judge.
He has cost his school shit loads of money they probably can’t afford.
His name has gone down in the records as a prick no one would want to employ cause he’s trouble.
If he ends up joining say the Army he will get his stupid hair shorn like all the rest of the recruits.
If he complains they will tell him to fuck off.
The boy is a prat. He just hasn’t realised it yet!

While the young man is undoubtedly a prat I do wonder how much his drop kick parents put him up to this. One only has to take a look at his father with his filthy dreads to ask that question. His old man strikes me as a stinking Green voter and one who will do anything to try and stick it to ‘the man’

One other thing, is it just me that thinks that dreads on a white guy look pathetic?

Quite so milkey. The school were stupid too probably because being a school they thought they could make school rules as all schools used to do before we reached this wonderful age of student litigation.

This joker is trouble. His old man is trouble. The best the school can hope for is he fucks off soon and takes his old man with him and that they learn from their mistakes.

Demetric Blank is a student from Tararua College, in Pahiatua, and has never been suspended or expelled for bad behaviour.
But he isn’t allowed to be at school at the moment – why?
His new hair style has offended teaching staff and he has been told to grow it out before returning.

They also wouldn’t give him the option to shave it all off, because it would be too short for their school policy.
So is that fair? His hair style would be seen on most rugby fields and isn’t exactly wild.
Demetric is in his first year of NCEA, an important year for any teenager, so has the school’s board of trustees taken this too far?

I would say the trustees are right to suspend him but no doubt that judge would disagree.

has stood up to a tin-pot bully, and was awarded costs by the High Court.

No, he instructed a lawyer to take a case because his dad’s an idiot who wants to impose his worldview on his impressionable son, and the son lucked out, because the Judge was an idiot incapable of calculating the wider ramifications of his idiotic decision.

It happens in the law, but it is never right.

The doozy in my book was back in the 1970’s when the US Supreme Court decided a lab-engineered oil-eating bacteria designed by an oil company to clean up oil spills, was not an organic life-form and therefore could be patented. This overrode a long-standing legal principle that a biological organism is not subject to the laws of IP. Bless them, but the Justices are lawyers, not biologists. So over the decades the corporate lawyers gradually widened the door, as they are paid so to do, thereby creating the legal reality we have today, whereby the human genome, as it is analysed and as it identifies the numerous diseases we are all subject to, is a patentable device. Thus of course, meaning that in years to come, your children and you will be required to undergo a gene scan, at which point the medical insurance companies will decide which diseases they insure you for and which ones they don’t. For example. Of course, pregnant women will also be told what their child is susceptible to and how much it will cost to rectify it. Auckland mortgages will of course pale by comparison.

Sure, this is not that. But it’s the same principle. Something which you could see for yourself, if only you weren’t so preoccupied with all the mental activity that your constant and never-ending hand-wringing appears, evidently, to involve.

Bruv- A workmate made the comment yesterday that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Lucan or his smelly pothead Dad appear on the Green Party list in the near future…
I have to agree- ‘Sticking it to the man’ seems pretty much the sole motivation. Reminds me of a dreadlocked MP from a few years ago…

I thought about that this morning on the long drive to work (the same long drive I have every day, often I will hear that stupid Yankee bint from the Greens on the radio telling me that Auckland does not need improved motorways)

It was not the Greens that I thought he would join though, I thought he would be perfect for the Mana/Internet party given they want the yoof vote. Can you imagine how many votes that SFNS kid Lucan would gain for the brown mother fucker and the convicted German criminal if they took Lucan on a national tour.

The principal was on an ego kick by acting like the new sheriff in town. He got handed his arse…..maybe he’ll think the issue through next time.

What, you mean the new boss of an organisation wants to make a difference to the way it runs? How disgraceful. Then he goes and does things. Like setting rules. Again, unacceptable. Unheard of, even. Then, the rules about haircuts, which many other similar organisations in the same industry also have, are challenged. Crikey. What to do. Do we cave like a little girl or do we stand strong and proud and pretend that we are in fact not evil monsters but merely sensible adults trying to get young people to understand there are boundaries in life.

Well that just goes beyond the pale, doesn’t it. I suggest, this principle hangs his head in shame for daring to do his job and instead, conducts a poll amongst the 12-17 year old “mini-adults” as to what they’d prefer. For example, should we have drinking at the school? How about a bit of weed? What about homework? Is that passe? The cross-country, obviously that’s complete history, I mean who wants to get puffed, esp after smoking all that weed. Etc, etc, etc.

No, fair point. Instead it arose in bronze age Palestine. As pointed out by others the “lord” did not choose to send his only son to China where they could already read and write, he did not send him to Greece where they knew a thing or two already, nor did he choose to send his son to other educated parts of the world.
No, he sent him to the most backward, desolate part of the world which was inhabited by illiterate sheep farmers and very little else.

Johnboy. Great posts. Your mother misses you. Write home more often. Your sister wants to know when you will be coming home to do more of those sensuous naked back rubs in the hot tub. LMK as I would like to watch…..

– You received 11,723 votes out of a total 352,656 votes – or 3.32% of the total vote.
– Even if BLANK (7,147) and INFORMAL (1,584) votes are excluded from the analysis, you still only got 3.41% of the total vote.

One could reasonably infer that the 96.68% of voters who didn’t vote for you want you to pay your rates! Now that’s something to think about next time you make this dodgy claim.

I can see quite a bit that is advancing your interests in that post, but I’m damned if I can work out how it is in the public interest to know you are having a spat with Penny?

I think you are insulting the people of Helensville by insinuating their entire voting decisions are based on whether someone pays their rates or not. I personally don’t think they are that shallow – so I’m interested to know why you do?

If you mean that the western world now depends on the oil found in that part of the world then I can kind of see where you are coming from. If however, you are suggesting that the Western world owes it existence to those bronze age peoples then of course you are completely wrong.

Do you really think you are going to beat the most popular PM this country has ever seen?

How the hell do you work that out? You really talk some shyte. Even Muldoon, Bolger and Moore, all scored much higher than Key ever has. You wanna get yourself a dose of reality and get over your man crush.

Anger? Really ? When I got a hell of a laugh out of it? IF you knew me, you’d know that I sit here chuckling at most of what I read on here. IT’s the internet honey – nothing said on here makes the slightest bit of difference to my life!

I can see quite a bit that is advancing your interests in that post, but I’m damned if I can work out how it is in the public interest to know you are having a spat with Penny?

Oh for goodness sake.

1. What personal interests (in your mind) was I advancing in my comment?

2. Penny asked “am I going to beat [Key] fair and square in Helensville?”. Why, then, is it not in the public interest to provide facts about her previous electoral performance (particularly given her inflated claims)?

3. Do you think it is acceptable for Penny to illegally default on her rates?

4. Would you like me to recommend a specific reading comprehension programme to address comments like “I think you are insulting the people of Helensville by insinuating their entire voting decisions are based on whether someone pays their rates or not”? If not, please feel free to set out your basis for my supposed insinuation that voting decisions would solely be based on Penny’s rate payment history.

Don’t flatter yourself honey. I don’t target anyone, I just read the comments are answer those that seem the most pathetic. Yours was top of the list.

Regarding Penny’s rates.. I don’t know all the details, but I support her right to protest when she feels there is a wrong being done. Perhaps she would like someone to help her, its been 769 days since my last protest march

I am aware of that. Hence I offered the lady my professional services. You would be well aware of the way I can defuse potentially violent or heated situations with a kindly word or a piece of sage advice.

LOL – now I know for sure you’ve never met me. The one thing I can assure you of, is I ain’t no lady!! Although if my great-great-great grandmother had been a boy, I would have been, but that’s another story.

There was once an Atheist called Joseph, he didn’t believe in God and therefore realized that life had no meaning and that morality was a lie, and so lived an immoral life becoming rich by swindling Ethiopian orphans and making billions of pounds by selling children as child sex-slaves on the black market. He retired when he was thirty years old to a Mediterranean Villa where he had concubines at his beck and call, and where he could enjoy the rest of his life and do whatever he wanted with all his money which he had made.

Living in parallel to Joseph, but not actually aware of Joseph’s existence is a Christian named Oli. Oli believed in God and went to Church every Sunday, gave generously to charity, volunteered for aid organizations and never asked for anything in return. he was always very poor as he always gave away his money was constantly being cheated out of money by people, but he always turned the other cheek. He never had a pot to piss in, but he was happy in his belief in God.

Both of these men are on their deathbeds. Oli, in a sudden fit of anger at God, curses God for never giving him anything in return for all his good works. This is his last living action, and because of this, Oli is sent straight to hell for denouncing God. Joseph on his deathbed, however, as he is about to die, suddenly realizes God is real, the Bible is true, free will exists, Jesus worked miracles, and all evil was in God’s divine plan, and apologizes for his life of selling prostitutes, running sweat-shops and making a fortune out of selling child pornography. This is his last living act, and so he goes to heaven for this.

Nothing at all my dear, I commented on one of your posts, like I do to many people, and since then you’ve asked me questions, which I’ve answered. If you don’t want me to comment to you – don’t friggin ask me questions – its not a difficult concept to get your head around!

Nostradumass answer my question first i.e. why do you turn a blind eye to big bigot bruv’s continual slanderous attack of my personality. I mean to say, all you ever do is analysis other peoples comments. And don’t try and tell me you have not noticed.

I can see quite a bit that is advancing your interests in that post, but I’m damned if I can work out how it is in the public interest to know you are having a spat with Penny?

I think you are insulting the people of Helensville by insinuating their entire voting decisions are based on whether someone pays their rates or not. I personally don’t think they are that shallow – so I’m interested to know why you do?

I addressed those, and asked you five questions in return, which you haven’t answered.

Really? I can’t see him getting through the application form without having a melt down and asking them why they are targeting him with all the questions. I think he’s just a sensitive wee soul that is getting in touch with his feminine side – ‘the inner bitch’.

You do seem to be an angry person, I noticed that you chose to avoid my question as to your whereabouts. Might this be something you want to confide in me about?

You can do nothing about where you were born, while I appreciate that being a Cantab is a huge thing to overcome in life (indeed some never manage it) you should never forget that I am here to help you in any way I can.

I was born and raised in West Auckland, but spent a lot of time on the family farms in the Waikato and King Country, and weekends and holidays at that family bach on the shores of Whangateau Harbour. Since then I’ve lived in 11 different places (those that I’ve stayed in for more than a few months).

I don’t live in Cantabury and would never like to. I don’t say where I live because I don’t think it matters, does it?

Your a nasty piece of shit Nostra you know all about the dad4justice imposter eh you slimy coward. That imposter was big bruv and you have the bloody cheek to say I am obsessed with that creep. Get your facts straight matey. What kind of sickness do dudes like bb have? Answer that know all!

I’ve never made any secret of the fact my family has a trust. My great-grandfather was a very astute man and made sure his descendants would never have to struggle, if they were wise. But we are not ‘rich’. None of us take from the trust, only borrow from it. It is there for future generations, and not ours to spend. It has been handy to have that backing, and I’m eternally grateful for the chances it has provided for me in life – but everything I have, I’ve paid for.

But I was raised a westie, and one cannot help their culture – it is those beginnings that encourage me to have the philosophy that I do.

I would consider it an act of self-generosity and public duty to let Johnboy go hard. I never realised he was such a stallion – or would it be more accurate to say he aspires to be one? What do you say, Johnboy?

My dear, you are merely playing with yourself, but I get the feeling it is an activity not completely foreign to you. I’m happy to play your game with you, but please do wash your hand before you pat me on the head.

Grrrrr… It’s not enough that the liberals want to tax sugar and soft drinks, now they want to change the recipe of marmite because they say it is too salty!! FFS, we only just got marmite back! Now they want to change it??

The recipe for Marmite could be rejigged to make it healthier in response to new Government plans to introduce nutrition rankings for all packaged food.

Marmite-maker Sanitarium was one of several companies which confirmed they would adopt the Healthy Star Rating system after Food Minister Nikki Kaye yesterday announced that New Zealand would follow Australia in adopting it.

Prime Minister John Key said it was an important initiative for a country dealing with the issue of obesity.

“In my experience, consumers absolutely want to know what’s in their food, a sense of how nutritional their food is, and it’ll be something that’ll be welcomed.”

Major brands Sanitarium and Heinz Watties supported the move, which would see the nutrients in packaged food assessed and given a health rating out of five stars.

Heinz Watties said it would wait to see the conditions and the labelling requirements before adding the rankings to its packaging, while Sanitarium said it would use the ratings for all its products including Weet-Bix and Up ‘n’ Go.

Sanitarium’s corporate food, environment and science manager Greg Gambrill said the ratings could prompt the company to change the ingredients in its foods to make them healthier.

He said Marmite was likely to rank poorly on the rating scale because of its high salt content, and because the system measured nutrients per 100g.

“Marmite may achieve a low score because of the sodium in it. Obviously we’ll look at how they score and some may be able to be tweaked. If it’s feasible … it’s certainly something we would do before we used the system on our products.”

After denial we need to deal with your obvious anger issues. Unless we can deal with that problem you will end up being locked away for two years, not commenting on Kiwiblog for the same length of time only to return even angrier than you were before.

Trust me Judith, I have see the results if this condition if they are not treated, you don’t want to end up as another voice in the wind.

There is only one poster suffering from delusions here, and it’s not me sweetie. Nice try – but I’m sorry that’s a fail. I’ve seen the Nile, its a dirty filthy river – I can assure you – I ain’t there now and I’m certainly not in Canterbury, or angry. I don’t have a problem with anger.

Being the therapist you’d like to think you are – do you know much about mindfulness? You should try it – I recommend some of Kabat Zinn’s work.

Careful Judith, big bruv will steal your internet identity and spread malicious gossip everywhere. I know full well from experience .Beware you are not dealing with a sane person. His hatred is untreatable.

It goes fast enough for me, but it’s the sound that matters most. Wouldn’t mind one of the new Storms, they look better than the VE & VF. They needed to change it. Mine has revolting rear vision and I don’t trust the camera, it just doesn’t feel right, so hopefully the Storm will be better.

Sorry to be negative, dad4justice have you ever given your kids the same moral support, looking over the stuff you have said to me in the past just for debating issues i just can’t believe you couldn’t treat them the same when you get angry.

If you really thought youth are our life line for the future you would treat all young people with a sense of positivity and respect…not telling people that if they dont agree with what you believe in you will “come up there and smash your head into the ground you little bitch” as you have repeated to me over the last few months for disagreeing with your stance on Sue Bradfords bill to repeal section 59…

Just to be clear, I can’t find any evidence that a threat was made in precisely those terms, or that you personally threatened James Sleep with violence.

It seems that three months later, you and James Sleep resolved your differences on this thread:

James Sleep (477 comments) says:
November 30th, 2007 at 7:32 pm

Hi all. I understand the current debate is over whether D4J threatened me. I would like people to dismiss this issue. It will not go anywhere other than working people up.

What I still don’t understand is your claim (as I understand it) that someone posted under your name. Care to clarify?

That is the problem BB. The rear vision is lousy even using the mirror. The back is so high and the window not deep enough, you just don’t get good vision. I’ve been driving tractors since I was ten and had my licence for 41 years. I’ve got a rough idea how to drive, both frontwards and backwards.

Lack of belief is not a religion but I know how much that threatens your world view so you are incapable of accepting it

The great thing about science is that as knowledge increases views can change, unlike those who believe ancient texts are inerrant

Christian 1 “You can have females ordained as priests”
Christian 2 “Yes you can”
Christian 1 “No you can’t. You are misinterpreting the ancient text and here is opinion that says I am right”
Christian 2 “Yes you can. It says so right here in the opinion I follow”

Hey Nostradumass I have never voted thumbs up or down you stupid know all bunt I cast my first vote for Johnboy on this thread. Why bother it’s so fucking trivial only a sad arse loser would worry about such rubbish. Bad luck creep not me matey! Get a life you sad soul. Some people have such boring lives. Time to go hunting.

It was the only trouble I had with anybody when I put out 15,000 brochures against the meaningless faggot bill .

I did not have a shot gun as police took my guns for being a father.

D4J claimed (on that same thread) that he was “chased from the Christchurch mosque by derranged and very angry muslim’s objecting to anti civil union brochures put in their letterbox” [sic]. It must have been an exhilarating experience!

Oh D4J, next time you feel like hitting on me, I’ll have to politely decline and return the favour with some more “stick this up your arse” gifts!

Judith (6,855 comments) says:
June 28th, 2014 at 10:07 am
“Teachers are not bosses. The child is not working for someone else, he is working for himself and his future. Students need to get the message that what they do, is for themselves and the rest of their life – its the stupid impression that they are given that they are working for someone else, that makes many of them not try to succeed as best they can.”

My response (for what it is worth, as I am only a lowly teacher)

1) What have Lucans teachers have to do with it? They are employees of the school and are paid to uphold the school rules.
2) It is the Principal and BOT that suspended Lucan, not his classroom teachers.
3) BOT is elected by the school community (parents). They employed the Principal. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of this particular school community wants the rules to be enforced as they have been. This is important as it allows for differences between schools, the school can reflect its community.
4) There are many schools in the area where a tidy ponytail would be fine. He could have enrolled at one of these.
5) If students are not getting the message that the better they do with education, the more choices and opportunities they will have, they are not listening. Teachers, Principals, Careers Advisors ALL SAY THIS, ALL THE TIME.

A St John’s College board of trustees member who led the decision to suspend student Lucan Battison is refusing to comment following the discovery of a photo of him as a long-haired student of Lucan’s age – while attending the same school.

In yesterday’s decision, Justice David Collins said it had not been possible to determine when the hair rule was first adopted by the school, but there was photographic evidence that in the “mid-1970s” there was either no rule or one which wasn’t enforced.

Which brings me back to the point I made some days ago this was all about her ego. Lucan must have given her a pass by.

But there’s as always is more ain’t there.

This was all kicked off when the new principal of 1 month went to a rugby game and saw several boys with long hair. He called them in prescribed his version of the rules. Not what had been practiced for the last say 30 years. Then it got personal. The new man’s ego got mixed with those of the jilted girls father who also presumably doesn’t like the boys father and way it went.

Lucan and his parents, Troy and Tania, said they were pleased with the judgment but disappointed it had to go to the High Court. “Our preferred option all along was mediation.”
———————–
While rules had a place, they needed to be “reasonable and certain”, they said.”Lucan never broke the rules. The rules which we signed up for, were ‘off the collar and out of the eyes’. Lucan’s hair, whether in a hair-tie or not, has conformed to this, but the new principal shifted the goal posts.”http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/10209394/Lucans-hair-battle-hits-ball-plans
—————————–

Schools scramble to check rules after student’s legal victory

B
New Zealand schools are facing hefty legal bills to ensure their rules on students’ appearance are legally watertight following a High Court ruling that a college’s decree on hair length was not legally enforceable.

Luc
The Battison family said in a statement that they were pleased with the judgment, but disappointed the issue had reached the High Court — they had wanted mediation.

“We do believe rules have a place. But they need to be reasonable and certain. Lucan has had the same style for three years at St John’s.”

They said he had signed up to the rule and his hair — whether in a hair tie or not — was off the collar and out of his eyes. “In 2014, when girls’ hair lengths … aren’t questioned, why should the rules be different for boys? … It is the school that did not follow the law.”

Schools scramble to check rules after student’s legal victoryhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11283431
——————————————
I’m a wondering;
Lucan went back to school as prescribed by the Judge with the judge making the point that no disciplnary action was to be taken. That edict was immediately defied by the School by refusing to allow Lucan to practice with the First 15 of which I think he was Captain and by refusing him entry to the school ball.
I am wondering if this is not indeed contempt of court and whether Collins should now call up the Headmaster & the school for these actions. That would be right and fair.
————————————

nasska (10,316 comments) says:
June 28th, 2014 at 11:56 am

Reid

His father (complete with dreadlocks) is a local businessman who features in the register of companies. He is also a survivor of a stint in the spinal unit at Burwood Hospital after a stock car crash which would indicate that he’s not short of guts nor the readies to take a court case.

If it’s his own money I would suggest that he can spend it as he sees fit.
————————————————————
Seems that plenty of those that call themselves the new National socialist right are actually not far short of being as left as Cunnlife and McCarten given this man has apparently an abundance of self reliance to his credit.

Fancy calling him a greeny. Just shows you can’t tell a person from their hairstyles.

whatever.
schools change rules all the time.
like I said, the Principal was employed by the BOT who are elected by the school community. The rules and school culture should be a reflection of what the school community wants. Nothing to do with teachers. We just enforce the rules – that is part of our job description…

and no shit about the money. I used to be one of them but hated the soulless job I was in, so retrained. Money isn’t everything.